In large building projects a failure to keep track of construction materials is a major contributor to cost-overruns and construction delays. Construction materials may be delivered on time to the site, but when the time comes to install the materials it can sometimes be difficult to locate the materials in the lay-down yard. The time taken trying to locate the materials consumes precious labour time, and in a worse case scenario a failure to locate the materials requiring re-ordering and delivery adds further unnecessary costs and delays to completion of the project. Therefore it is desirable to have a system and method of managing all phases of the material handling process, from procurement, expedition and transport through to onsite arrival, storage and installation.
The present invention was developed with a view to providing a system and method of materials management which facilitates tracking the location of each item of material offsite and on site from the time of arrival to installation. Although the invention will be described with particular reference to construction sites, it will be appreciated that the invention has wider application to tracking the location of items of material on other sites.
References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.